Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL) has commenced the production of its most awaited All-New 5th Generation Honda City in India. The car is being manufactured at its Greater Noida plant in Uttar-Pradesh. The company’s plant had resumed manufacturing operations from mid-June following all government regulations and company’s safety protocols for COVID-19 prevention. The launch of the 5th Generation City is scheduled in July 2020.
More details
The new generation of City has been hugely anticipated for a very long time. The car was initially supposed to be launched in the month of March but due to the unprecedented situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, things had to be put on hold. But with restrictions eased out, the Japanese automaker has decided to go ahead with the launch next month.
Commenting on the start of production, Mr. Rajesh Goel, Sr. Vice President & Director, Honda Cars India Ltd said, “We are delighted to begin the Production of All New 5th Generation Honda City which will be launched next month. The aspirational sedan comes with a rich legacy of over 22 years across four generations and has been synonymous with Honda brand in India. The excitement and anticipation around the 5th Generation City in the pre-launch phase has been extremely encouraging despite the currently prevailing market challenges. The All New City is an engineering marvel on all aspects of design, technology and features and will strongly appeal to our modern age customers.”
What are the changes?
Ever since its launch, the City has defined the original, authentic shape of the sedan in India. The ‘Ambitious Sedan’ design enhances the stance and strength of the car. Inspired by the Japanese Katana blade, a type of curved sword used by ancient samurai, the updated City follows a continuity of lights with a sharp shoulder line that accentuates its premium look and length. This character line runs right from the headlamp all the way to the tail lamp, defining its shape, making the hood seem longer, and gives the car a distinguishingly precise and aerodynamic impression.
Coming to the front, the new City has adopted a solid wing face with chrome front grille inherited from Honda’s higher segment sedan- Civic. Complementing it are full-LED headlamps with 9 LED array inline shell, integrated LED DRL and L Shaped LED turn signal. At the rear, the Z-Shaped 3D wrap-around LED tail lamp with LED side marker lamps is able to combine sportiness and with elegance.
The interior of the sedan is expected to be more luxurious with a sophisticated and high-quality dashboard with real stitch soft pad and woody garnish; a large eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Alexa, Click-Feel AC dial with Red/ Blue Illumination, High-quality leather steering wheel & and shift lever and soft interior ambient lighting in the front footwell and map lamp with LED interior room lamps. Behind the wheel, the attraction shifts to the large 17.7cm High Definition full-colour TFT Meter for Multi-Function Driver Information Interface like Trip meter, Real-time fuel efficiency, Digital speed and an innovative G-meter.
Also read: Fifth-Generation Honda City Details Revealed Officially Ahead Of Launch
The car will offer two engine options: 1.5L i-VTEC (Petrol) and 1.5L i-DTEC (Diesel). The former delivers 121 PS at 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm at 4300 rpm. It will be available with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard and a CVT unit as optional. In the MT configuration, it will return 17.8 kmpl of fuel economy, while in the CVT it will deliver 18.4 kmpl. The 1.5L i-DTEC has been rated to crank out 100 PS of power at 3,600 rpm and 200 Nm at 1,750 rpm. It will be available with only a 6-speed manual gearbox and will deliver 24.1 kmpl in terms of fuel economy.